Friday, September 30, 2011

Yehey! A two-day holiday... time for some R & R. What do you mean when you say "I need some R & R"? Some define it as "Rest and Relaxation" and others "Rest and Recreation"... for me, I'd like to add "Refreshment", "Renewal", "Restore", "Restock", "Revitalize"... so many "Re" words to describe vacation...

So where did we go? It was rainy season and I wanted a place where we would feel warm... where else but Pansol hot springs! And I found this place on the internet named R & R Resort... perfect~ So I booked an overnight stay at one of their cabanas...

It was a two-hour trip from our house to the resort... and we arrived a little past 8:00am after missing a few turns... we didn't see the resort signage as it was facing the other direction. We couldn't find the street indicated on our map... turns out, it was gated by R&R for privacy and security.

The entrance to the resort...

The kiddie pool in the foreground and adult pool in the background, with picnic huts surrounding the pool.

Covered dining area beside the pool...

Shower rooms near the pool area...

and upstairs, the videoke room.

Lush greenery line the walkway leading to the cabanas...

Our cabana... No. 2 Camia... with a small private pool at our very own backyard... nice!

The resort had 10 cabanas, each good for 8-10 persons, with a small private pool.

Mel... inviting us inside the cabana

Living/dining/kitchen area

stairs to split-level area

middle level bedroom...

upstairs bedroom

The cabana had two toilets/baths... one at the middle level and the other one downstairs near the pool.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I was at IL Terrazzo Mall for the 30th Anniversary of the UP Statistical Society, which was being held at the Techno Wave Bar on the 3rd floor. I didn't want to enter alone... most of the peeps there would be current members... and I was an alumnus... so I texted my batchmates to check who were already at the venue. One of my batchmates, a founding member of StatSoc, texted that he was at The Real Thing Diner on the 2nd floor of IL Terrazzo, so I told him to stay put and I would just meet him there.

After exchanging pleasantries, I decided to order a meal for myself while waiting for the others. I saw the special sign outside the diner and decided to order that...8 o'clock Chicken... I even asked the waiter if it was still available since it was already past eight o'clock, LOL!

While waiting for my meal, I happened to notice my paper place mat...

... then the decor...

Then I went outside to take a photo of the place...

A Coca-cola inspired diner... they even have a lot of coke knick-knacks on coke-shaped shelving...

My meal came at last... 8'oclock Chicken... then I realized why it is named so... the sauce is made with eight o'clock orange juice, a coca-cola product. Nothing special really, just tasted like regular grilled boneless chicken (supposed to be marinated with eight o'clock orange juice, but mine was a bit dry, maybe overcooked), with potato wedges, steamed vegetables, a slice each of tomato and cucumber, and a sprig of parsley for garnish.

My friend's meal... Chicken Amigo... same grilled chicken, but with an herb sauce, and he chose mashed potatoes as his side dish.

Would I come back to this diner?... hmmm, maybe... if I was in the area. The items on their menu are a bit pricey (est. P250+/meal)... but I'd like to try their Sarsi Fish n' Chips and their Sarsi Wings. Aside from chicken dishes, they also have soups, burgers, pastas, seafood and other meat dishes, dessert and sodas. I'm not fond of sodas though...so there.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Ahhh... autumn~ that time of year when trees show off their vibrant colors. What a wonderful time to be in New York... one lovely autumn day at Central Park...

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City. There are so many attractions in the park and it would take more than a day to visit all of them... so we just chose the more familiar ones... those we usually see in the movies :)

First stop... Alice in Wonderland, a sculpture based on the well-loved book written by Lewis Carroll.

Next... off to Bethesda Terrace and the Angel of the Waters Fountain or Bethesda Fountain. Several movies were shot here, including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Elf, and Enchanted.

The Mall... a grand promenade leading to the Bethesda Terrace, flanked by American elms lending its arched shaded canopy. Statues of well-known literary figures dot the southern end of the Mall, hence the Literary Walk.

Sculpture of Balto, a Siberian Husky sled dog... inscription on the rock:
"Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the Winter of 1925. Endurance · Fidelity · Intelligence"

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

I love books!!! ... and I'm glad I have children who love books too :) So off we went to the 2011 Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia.

First stop... Church Strengthening Ministry, Inc. booth... books and cds at P100 each

I bought two books authored by Ms. Lizette Knight... and had them autographed!

with Ms. Lizette Knight

Sarah went hunting for sheet music at I-Wagon, while Moji took the Reading and Math Assessment at the Scholastic booth...

Congrats to Moji... one of the top scorers in Math... got 2 free books from Scholastic, YEY~

Dropped by 702 DZAS booth... they had just finished their broadcast for the day. Nice to see Nemia still hanging around... and glad to meet Ms. Carmen Go-Vargas~

with Nemia De Guzman-Turla (Tuklas Kaalaman)

with Ms. Carmen Go-Vargas

Hannah bought a book from CLC Bookstore... everything P99 only. While I bought a couple of magazines from Summit Media... back issues for only P50 each!
Preview magazine, July 2011 issue... it has an insert with cardboard couture... it's been a while since I've played with paperdolls... I love it!!!

My MIBF2011 hand stamp :)

With tired aching feet, growling stomachs, empty pockets and books in tow, it's time to leave the fair... till next year~

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

I waited as my daughter Sarah renewed her driver's license at Robinsons Metro East LTO... well, not exactly waited the whole while, coz I had some errands to run on my own. Has it been already three years since she first got her DL? No, it's not her birthday... it's five weeks past her birthday, so she has to pay the penalty for not renewing on time :(

It was almost lunch when she finally got her DL... yey~ time to eat! I still had a couple of Metrobank CC receipts, so we decided to go to Pancake House... yey for discounts~

I wanted to try the dish I saw on the poster outside the store... Healthy hunger-busters. I sure hope it would make for a happier and healthier me... as the poster boasts, hahaha!

Sarah's pasta dish... Crispy Bacon on Asparagus and Mushroom Tagliatelle. She liked it very much... the asparagus was fresh and crisply cooked, the bacon blended well with the veggies and pasta, and the sauce was minimal and just right for whole dish.

I ordered the Healthy hunger-buster... Spicy Chicken Fillet on Brown Rice Pilaf. It came with a garlic-mayo sauce on the side.

I was a bit disappointed with this dish. The chicken wasn't spicy at all... I had to use their pepper sauce condiment to spice it up more. And the brown rice pilaf was a bit too soggy to my liking, and bland too. The only saving grace for me was the garlic-mayo... great tasting sauce!

Now for the best part... we ordered a Black Forest Gurt... frozen yogurt with huge brownie fudge bits, cherries in syrup and chocolate sprinkles... a real delight to the senses!!! The fudge was so chewy and chocolatey... the cherries in syrup were delicious and everything went well with the creamy sweet and slightly tart frozen yogurt... best I've ever tasted!!!

I would love to come back to Pancake House to try other Gurts flavors...

Who Am I?

I'm broke but I'm happy, I'm poor but I'm kind, I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah... ~Hand in my pocket / Alanis Morissette.....................................
Well... this is as far as the song goes for me.